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The Professional Football Researchers Association

The Grange War 1926

By Bob Carroll

Red Grange, the greatest name in football, was everyone's hero. breezy, many would say arrogant, manner made him as easy to Lindberg had not yet flown to Paris, and only Babe Ruth ranked dislike as Grange's pleasant personality made him likeable. That higher as a sports personality. Grange on a gridiron guaranteed a was fine with C.C. He was there for money, not love. huge crowd. His endorsement sold pencils, cigarettes, cereal, typewriters, and all sorts of other stuff. He made a movie: One After the introduction of Grange, Pyle got to the point. He Minute to Play; the critics liked it, and the public made it a winner. announced that he and Red had secured a five-year lease on Red's advice was asked, though not followed, by politicians. Every for all the Sunday and holiday dates from October football-loving boy in America wanted to be . Every 15 to December 31. They proposed running their own franchise. man who ever played the game or dreamed of it wanted to be his C.C. painted a convincing picture. With the biggest stadium in the buddy. Every woman with a yen for muscles fantasized him as her country and the biggest star in football, the league members all lover. 1925 was Grange's year; the same could be said for 1926 -- stood to profit greatly. though in a different way. The NFL's '25 messiah became its '26 adversary. All but one. Tim Mara had purchased his Giants franchise the year before because of its exclusivity. Wasn't that the purpose of a The redhead from Illinois was big, certainly bigger than that league franchise? In the name of profit, would the league set aside Mara's -- uh, what was it called? Despite the increased status gained by rights and allow a new franchise in Yankee Stadium across the the Grange Tours of 1925, pro football in general and the NFL in Harlem River, less than a thousand yards away from the Polo particular still ranked far behind as an attraction. Grounds? When Americans thought of pro football, which was still not that often, the first name that came to mind was never Joe Carr or A couple of owners didn't have to think twice before jumping on the or even ; it was Red Grange. Grange-wagon. A.H. Bowlby of Rock Island bubbled over. Dutch Sternaman went for it, and even George Halas was non-committal. As the looked toward only its seventh Mara found himself in a minority. Nevertheless, he was a minority season, it knew it had to deal in some way with Grange. Red was a with an exclusive franchise -- in writing. Pyle later claimed that 19 free agent. The agreement C.C. Pyle had hammered out with of the assembled 20 owners favored admitting a Yankee Stadium Halas and Sternaman for the 1925 Tours contained no reserve Grange team. But, as much as the other owners wanted Grange in clause making Red Bears property in '26. Pyle offered the the NFL, he couldn't be in unless Mara said okay. Redhead's services to Halas and Sternaman for a five-figure contract and one-third ownership of the Bears -- and was turned That evening, a couple of owners attempted a compromise. down. Perhaps Mara would be willing to countenance a Grange in Brooklyn. Perhaps Pyle would be willing to back off -- to Ebbets RED ARRIVES Field, ten miles from the Polo Grounds. A meeting was arranged Grange and Pyle attended the NFL's annual winter meeting, held at between Mara and Pyle. It was doomed. Mara had developed a Detroit's Hotel Statler on Saturday, February 6, 1926. Red was healthy dislike for Pyle's arrogance the year before when received as Paris later welcomed Lindberg. As usual, his modesty negotiating the Grange Tour into the Polo Grounds. Now C.C. was and All-America demeanor charmed everyone. Even in the difficult treating him as a tiresome obstacle to a New Dawn and Tim had days that followed, few club owners had a bad word to say about his Irish up. According to one witness, Mara came close to Grange. punching C.C.'s lights out.

Their epithets were reserved for Pyle, who was recieved as Paris That Mara's refusal to be bulldozed was fueled by self-interest laster welcomed Hitler. To the NFL owners, C.C. was a diabolical goes without saying. He saw no profit in allowing his Giants to Svengali leading the trusting Redhead to ruin. In picturing Grange become New York's "second" team. But beyond that, he could think as an innocent dupe and Pyle as evil incarnate, they underrated of long-term profits as opposed to quick riches. If the league caved Grange and over-indicted Pyle. C.C. was only capitalizing on Red's in this time, what would happen when next year's "Grange" came fame, something that every man in the room was anxious to do. along and wanted a slice of ? And the year after that, The only difference was that, unlike the others, Pyle was would be given away to another college star? Who determined Grange would receive the biggest share of the was running this show anyway? The league or the stars? capitalization. Red, who was certainly no pawn, knew full well that Pyle was his way to the lion's share in that lions' den. Pyle's

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Faced with Mara's intractable stance, the league had no choice but student-athletes would be willing to challenge that rule in the courts to bid a regretful adieu to Grange. Okay, announced Pyle, he and as a violation of their right to earn a living. Grange would still be in Yankee Stadium in the fall -- in a new league. THE GRANGE LEAGUE C.C. Pyle immediately began negotiations with several cities that The NFL owners went on with their meeting, upholding Carr's 1925 had previously expressed an interest in joining the NFL. Among actions in suspending Pottsville, fining the Cardinals, and forcing rumored possibles were a St. Louis team backed by great the sale of the Milwaukee franchise. Then they re-elected Carr Rogers Hornsby and a Cincinnati team to be owned by Reds owner president. Although these actions seemed on the surface Garry Herrmann. Supposedly Pyle received five reguests for teams unconnected to the "Grange Situation," they actually were a from Chicago and three from Brooklyn. Pyle's PR gave the necessary step in polarizing the NFL and Pyle-Grange. Pottsville's impression that investors were beating his door to splinters. punishment resulted from Carr's defense of franchise integrity, that is, the exclusive right of an NFL franchise holder to stage games At the same time, to give his league an air of legitimacy, Pyle involving NFL teams within its own territory. Carr's penalties of the looked for a nationally-known figure to front as president. After Cards and Milwaukee concerned player eligibility, a second side of being turned down by famed sportswriter Grantland Rice, he the Grange problem. By supporting Carr's decisions and by re- settled on William "Big Bill" Edwards, the Princeton All-America of electing him, the owners endorsed his vision of the league's future. the 1890's. Edwards had become a New York politico and served in such non-sports capacities as Collector of Internal Revenue and The eligibility part was an old story. Pro football had been criticized Street Cleaning Commissioner. His last known direct connection for years for playing college boys under assumed names. Although with football had been as a game official in 1907 and his only some of the many independent teams across the country still found affiliation with pro football was as referee for the Franklin- places for mysterious "Smith's" and "Jones's," by 1926 the NFL Watertown game at Madison Square Garden in 1904. Pyle got "Big was far past that stage. Milwaukee's use of high schoolers in 1925 Bill" for a promised $25,000, and Edwards ascended to his office was an anomaly in violation of existing rules. But, no rules covered with a ringing speech about preserving "high-class football" and a situation like Grange's. Red had completed his football eligibility "red-blooded sport." at the University of Illinois when he signed with the Bears. He was, however, still eligible for other sports such as , baseball On July 17, Pyle announced the make up of his new American and track until he put his name on the dotted line. Moreover, his Football League. Three clubs were clustered around New York: pro football tours had taken him out of school, thus depriving the Pyle's New York Yankees, featuring Grange; the Brooklyn young millionaire of his degree. The league had been damned in Horsemen, promising to field the more famous Horsemen of Notre press and on campus for its precipitous signing of the Redhead. Dame; and the Newark Bears, made up mostly of southern players. To avoid further criticism, the owners adopted the following The Bulldogs brought a group of Ivy Leaguers into the AFL. resolution: The Philadelphia Quakers were owned by Leo Conway, the one- time "boy manager" of an earlier Quaker team. The Cleveland That the National Football League ... places itself on Panthers looked to be made up of players from the 1925 NFL record as unalterably opposed to any encroachment Bulldogs. upon college football and in preserving the amateur standing of all college athletes ... it is the unanimous The Chicago Bulls listed former Bears Joey decision of this meeting that every member of the Sternaman -- Dutch's brother -- as their owner, coach and star. National Football League be positively prohibited from Joey's defection would hurt the Bears, but the crusher came when enducing or attempting to induce any college player to the Bulls gained the right to play in , exiling poor engage in professional football until his class at college Chris O'Brien to dingy little . shall have graduated, and any member violating this rule shall be fined not less than One Thousand Dollars, or Two clubs were announced as traveling teams that would play loss of its franchise, or both. (italics added) almost exclusively on the road: the Wilson Wildcats, featuring U. of Washington All-America George "Wildcat" Wilson, who was also Although cynics might call this a classic case of locking the barn the owner of record; and A.H. Bowlby's . door, the rule was well-intentioned. The league said that it would Rock Island had asked and received permission to suspend not in any way tamper with student-athletes until after they had operations in the NFL -- six days before they were announced in used up their eligibility and had a reasonable expectation of the AFL camp. Although the Independents were one of the NFL's graduating. There would be no more signings in late November. charter members, one NFL executive characterized their jump as More, the open-ended fine and possible loss of franchise put real "good riddance to bad rubbish." teeth in the rule. Pyle was supposedly no more than the New York team owner in The rule became one of the NFL's proudest badges of altruism. his league, but that was for public consumption. The Wilson Whenever it was suggested that its owners were a bunch of mean- Wildcat franchise was undoubtedly Pyle's concoction, and there spirited money-grubbers who put the almighty dollar ahead of was a strong likelihood that he was backing Joey Sternaman in responsibility, the league could point with pride at its "class-has- Chicago. In other words, he probably owned one-third of the graduated" rule as an example of how it "protected" both college league. He might as well have owned it all as far as dictatorial football and student athletes. Ironically, sixty years later some control went. The public thought of the AFL as the "Grange League;" In reality, it was Pyle's.

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THE NFL PREPARES FOR WAR SAVING THE NFL Joe Carr had been strangely silent when Pyle made his power grab Hope came from, of all places, Duluth. The Duluth team had been at the NFL winter meeting. No doubt the Pres was of two minds. a money loser from the time it joined the NFL in 1923. Four players Surrendering to C.C. would weaken the league, perhaps fatally. On operated the franchise in 1925 and on two occasions they had to the other hand, Grange's proven ability to pull crowds would chip in their own money to meet guarantee for clubs visiting Duluth. strengthen the league, perhaps enough to offset throwing franchise , the club treasurer, was given the franchise in 1926. integrity to the wind. Tim Mara's refusal to back down took any To make things legal, he handed the players a dollar, which they decision out of Carr's hands. And once Pyle announced his new immediately spent on twenty nickle beers. AFL, Carr was a fortress in opposing it. At the summer meeting, the NFL members were scheduling games The defection of the Rock Island Independents was a loss only to among themselves when Haugsrud dropped a bombshell. He had the NFL's pride; the team was a box office loser. Pyle also tried to signed to a contract. In the 1920's pecking order of woo Chris O'Brien and his Cardinals. Even though the Cardinals football stars, Nevers ranked second to Grange in public adoration. were not a money-maker, they were the 1925 champions and their A big blond Minnesotan, he'd earned the description "One Man loss would have really hurt the older league. Chris O'Brien stood Team" while playing for "Pop" Warner at Stanford. Warner ranked firm, forcing Pyle to make his arrangement with Joey Sternaman. him as even better than his earlier protege, Jim Thorpe. Nevers When the AFL Bulls gained the right to play in Comiskey Park, could run, pass, kick, and play defense on a par with Thorpe, and O'Brien was in deep trouble. Carr and the league helped a bit by "Pop" gave Ernie the edge on competitive spirit. Until Haugsrud quietly rescinding the $1,000 fine levied for participating in the "high announced his coupe, the other NFL owners had figured Nevers school game" with Milwaukee. Finally, to keep operating, O'Brien was going with Pyle's AFL. was forced to sell "Paddy" Driscoll to the Bears for $3,000. When the owners heard the NFL had a new attraction that nearly Another NFL fear was that the , at that point rivaled Grange in appeal, they cheered. "You've saved the league!" acknowledged as pro football's strongest team, would join the new Haugsrud was told. Then the "moguls" scrambled to schedule the league. The Maroons would make a powerful road attraction for "Ernie Nevers Eskimos," as the Duluth team was now called. Pyle's AFL. At the NFL's summer meeting, Pottsville was re- Before Haugsrud could say "Drawing Card" three times fast, he embraced after paying only a slap-on-the-wrist fine of $2,000. had a bulging schedule.

At the same time Rock Island was given NFL permission to Only one game was played in Duluth. More than twenty, counting suspend operation for a year, the , Cleveland exhibitions, took place on the road, in a schedule that ended in Bulldogs, and Minneapolis Marines begged out of the 1926 season. Sacramento, California, the next January. In one stretch, the Rochester was done for good, Minneapolis would try again in 1929, Eskimos played four games in eight days. Nearly all of the games and new Cleveland franchises would bounce in and out of the were played with a roster of only 13 men, and the team was tagged league for years. The AFL Panthers were not directly related to the "The Iron Men of the North." Bulldogs, despite the presence of seven former Bulldogs players. Nevers signed for $15,000 and a share of the bigger gates, making Carr more than made up for the missing, boosting NFL him the highest-paid NFL player. At that, he was a bargain. His membership all the way to 22 teams. The war strategy was to fight name drew good crowds, and Haugsrud claimed a $3,000 profit for the AFL with numbers -- teams in the league, players under the season. On the field, Nevers lived up to his "One-Man Team" contract, and games available to fans. New franchises were added reputation. The Eskimos lined up in a double-wing formation, in Hartford and Brooklyn (with Mara's permission). The old Racine similar to a modern shotgun, with Nevers as the only deep back. franchise was resurrected for one final go. So was Louisville. Aaron He called signals, handled the ball on every play, did most of the Hertzman had no field to play on in Kentucky and no other NFL running, and all of the passing and kicking. On defense, he played team cared to visit there anyway. So the Brecks called themselves a roving linebacker. "Colonels" and played out of Chicago as a road team. The manager was Bill Harley, "Chic's" ever-available brother. Typically, Besides Nevers, two other team members later became members Bill told people he owned the team. of the Pro Football Hall of Fame: wingback Johnny Blood and guard . However, despite Nevers' heroics and enough The most interesting new arrivals were two other road teams. The legends to fill their own book, the Eskimos were only an ordinary Los Angeles Buccanneers, headquartered in Chicago, were nearly team, winning against weak foes and losing to all their strong all West Coast players. The biggest names were two-time All- opponents. America Harold "Brick" Muller and quarterback Talma "Tut" Imlay, both from the University of California "Wonder Teams" of Haugsrud claimed the Eskimos played 19 league games and ten 1920-22. The sudden influx of West Coast players into the exhibitions from October to early January 1927, for a backbreaking heretofore eastern and midwestern world of major league pro schedule. However, research reveals only 14 league games were football was at least partly a result of the Grange western tour the played and several announced games were rained out. The previous January. Nearly every available Pacific Coast star played Eskimos NFL record was 6-5-3 for 1926. Exhibitions are harder to for either the Bucs or the AFL Wilson Wildcats in 1926. prove; although only eight of these have been verified, it is quite possible Haugsrud's ten were actually played. Except for one -- the greatest western star of all.

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The game total is important only because it affects an unofficial Reportedly, league president "Big Bill" Edwards never saw a penny record often credited to Nevers -- 1711 minutes played in '26. of his $25,000 salary. Haugsrud claimed that Ernie was incensed over a clause that Joe Carr insisted be put in his contract, that he play at least 25 minutes MEANWHILE, IN THE NFL ... of every game. Ernie was used to playing every minute. According Most of the problems that afflicted the AFL were present in the to Haugsrud, he insisted on playing all but 29 minutes during the older league. The weather was just as bad. Talent was spread thin, season. If the number of games played was "only" 24, Nevers total and most of the 22 teams were weaklings. The traveling Colonels playing time was 1411 -- still an incredible achievement. didn't score a point in their four games. Hammond managed only a single field goal in its four contests. Neither those two nor Racine Most of his 29 minutes on the bench came on October 31 against and Milwaukee finished the season. Columbus, Canton, Dayton, Milwaukee. He had abdominal pains indicating a possible Akron, Hartford, and Brooklyn barely limped to the end. appendicitus. The doctor advised him to sit this one out, but when the Eskimos fell behind, 6-0, in he came. He threw a 40-yard pass The Nevers Eskimos drew fans here and there, but not enough to for the tying touchdown and then kicked the extra point. completely offset heavy losses for even the stronger teams. Tim Mara's Giants, going directly against Grange, lost $40,000. In Haugsrud, in several accounts from memory, claimed Nevers Chicago, where three teams squared off, both the Bears and kicked five field goals against Hartford and completed 17 Cardinals were badly hurt. consecutive passes against Pottsville in '26. He did neither. However, he scored all the points in a 16-0 win over Hartford, on Ironically, the NFL had a strong, three-way race for its three field goals, a touchdown, and an extra point, and he championship -- just the kind of thing that should have made some completed a total of 17 passes against Pottsville in 1927. money. By the end of November, the Bears were undefeated and the Yellow Jackets and Pottsville Maroons had only one loss each. In other words, once the air is taken out of the Nevers Legend, it's still bigger than life. On December 4, the Jackets and Bears faced each other at Philadelphia's . A mere 10,000 turned out for the game RED'S LEAGUE GOES INTO THE RED of the year -- 12,000 fewer than the crowd for the AFL Yankees- The AFL counted heavily on the charisma of well-known backs to Quakers game the week before. For 55 minutes, the teams battled draw fans. Besides Grange, Sternaman, and "Wildcat" Wilson, back and fourth across the 50-yard-line. The closest either came to Eddie Tryon of Colgate, Harry Stuhldreher of Notre Dame, Doug a score was Paddy Driscoll's field goal attempt in the third quarter, Wycoff of Georgia Tech, Pooley Hubert of Alabama, and Al Kreuz blocked by Philadelphia player-coach . With five of Penn signed up. The only decent line in the league belonged to minutes left, Chicago had the ball at its own 38 when rookie Bill Philadelphia, where Leo Conway lured former NFL tackles Senn took a handoff, burst through the Jackets' defense, and raced Centrury Milstead and "Bull" Behman from the Giants and Yellow to a touchdown. Driscoll tried for the extra point, but once more Jackets respectively. Conway's Quakers proved the old adage that Chamberlin blocked his kick. games are won in the trenches. They defeated Grange's Yankees twice in late November to win the first, and as it turned out, only Trailing 6-0, the Yellow Jackets brought the kickoff back to their 25. AFL championship. Tailback began passing, connecting several times to end . The clock was down to a minute and a half By that time, the only AFL teams still playing were the Quakers, when the Jackets reached the Bears' 27. Stockton took another Yankees, Wildcats, and Chicago Bulls, three of those four snap and lofted the ball for blocking back "Two-Bits" Homan apparently underwritten by Pyle. Of the other five hopefuls, streaking for the end zone. Homan, the smallest man on the field at Cleveland and Newark quit at the end of October. The Brooklyn 144 pounds, made the catch of the day just as he crossed the goal Horsemen gave up and merged with the NFL Brooklyn Lions line. When fullback Tex Hamer's kick split the uprights, the Jackets (becoming the "Horse-Lions!") in early November. Boston moved into first place on a 7-6, "miracle" win. surrendered after November 14. The Rock Island team ended up broke and stranded in Chicago the next week. The Maroons, with basically the same cast from 1925 intact, were still in the race with games scheduled on the next two weekends What happened? Generally, the teams were under-capitalized; with Chicago and Philadelphia. But on December 12, the Bears when the league didn't capture fan interest early, the owners knocked them off 9-7 at . Driscoll scored the Bears' couldn't cover promised salaries. A particularly rainy autumn points on a touchdown and field goal. Only 5,500 attended. Six compounded the problem; only Grange could get fans to brave the days later, the Yellow Jackets cemented first place on a scoreless cold and wet. Most of the teams weren't very good; they'd been tie with the Maroons at Frankford Stadium. hastily assembed, lacked acceptable linemen, and were badly coached. And finally, the games, though often close, were always For Guy Chamberlin, the Frankford championship was his fourth in dull. Despite the famous backs, scoring was rare. In 41 league five seasons as a coach and sixth in eight seasons as a player, games, the AFL scored only 42 touchdowns. Only the Yankees counting the unofficial U.S. title with Canton in 1919. Philadelphia averaged two a game; the champion Quakers earned 33 of their 93 added the NFL crown to the AFL's won earlier by the Quakers. points on field goals. After the Quakers had their title in hand, Leo Conway tried to Few players ever received all the money owed to them. Joey wangle a game with the Yellow Jackets, but Frankford refused only Sternaman claimed he came out of the venture dead broke. in part because its schedule was filled. However, Tim Mara agreed

The Professional Football Researchers Association to let his Giants play the Quakers at the Polo Grounds on Los Angeles Buccaneers 6 3 1 67-57 December 12 in an odd sort of "Super Bowl," with the champions of 6 5 3 112-81 one league playing the seventh-place team of the other circuit. It Buffalo Rangers 4 4 2 53-62 turned cold and snowed. Only 5,000 diehard fans came out to see Chicago Cardinals 5 6 1 74-98 the AFL's best against the NFL's ordinary. What they saw was an Providence Steam Roller 5 7 1 89-103 embarrassment for the "Grange League." The Giants climbed all Detroit Panthers 4 6 2 107-60 over the Quakers to win, 31-0. 3 7 0 57-98 Brooklyn Lions 3 8 0 60-150 There could be no more doubt; the AFL was dead. 2 7 0 4-66 Akron Indians 1 4 3 23-87 1926 FINAL NFL STANDINGS 1 4 1 15-82 W L T PF-PA Racine Tornadoes 1 4 0 8-92 Frankford Yellowjackets 14 1 2 236-49 Columbus Tigers 1 6 0 26-93 12 1 3 216-63 1 9 3 46-161 Pottsville Maroons 10 2 2 155-29 0 4 0 3-56 Kansas City Cowboys 8 3 0 76-53 Louisville Colonels 0 4 0 0-108 7 3 3 151-61 8 4 1 147-51